NHS Breast Cancer Screening Programme

THE NEXT ROUTINE RECALLS WILL TAKE PLACE FOR BARRINGTON MEDICAL CENTRE PATIENTS IN 2026 HOWEVER IF YOU MISSED YOUR SCREENING WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO BOOK NOW AND NOT WAIT

If you have received your invitation for screening; click here to book or change your appointment

Greater Manchester Breast Screening contact details

Breast screening - helping you decide!

Greater Manchester Breast Screening Information

Cancer Research UK Spot breast cancer early | Publications (cancerresearchuk.org),

Breast Cancer Now  Download and order publications | Breast Cancer Now Available in different Languages

Prevent Breast Cancer-  Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer | Prevent Breast Cancer

Cancer screening involves testing apparently healthy people for signs that could show that a cancer is developing.

Breast screening uses a test called mammography which involves taking x-rays of the breasts. Screening can help to find breast cancers early when they are too small to see or feel. These tiny breast cancers are usually easier to treat than larger ones.

It is important to remember that screening will not prevent you from getting breast cancer but aims to find early breast cancers.

Overall, the breast screening programme finds cancer in around 9 out of every 1,000 women having screening.

It’s important to remember that screening is for healthy people with no symptoms. If you notice any unusual changes to your body that don’t go away, talk to your doctor. In most cases it won’t be cancer, but it’s best to get it checked out.

Each year more than 2 million women have breast cancer screening in the UK. The NHS Breast Screening Programme invites all women from the age of 50 to 70 for screening every 3 years. This means that some people may not have their first screening mammogram until they are 52 or 53 years. 

In some parts of England, the screening programme has been inviting women from 47 to 73 years old as part of a trial.

If you are older than 70, you can still have screening every 3 years but you won’t automatically be invited. To make an appointment, talk to your GP or your local breast screening unit.

If you are younger than 50, your risk of breast cancer is generally very low. Mammograms are more difficult to read in younger women because their breast tissue is denser. So the patterns on the mammogram don’t show up as well. There is little evidence to show that regular mammograms for women below the screening age would reduce deaths from breast cancer. 

Breast screening is also for some trans or non-binary people. Talk to your GP or Gender Identity Clinic about this. 

Go to information about screening for trans and non-binary people

Is breast cancer common? Breast cancer is the most comon type of cancer in the UK

Why does the NHS offer breast screening? To save lives by finding breast cancers at an early stage when they are too small to see or feel

Why have I been invited for breast screening?  All women aged 50 up to their 71^st birthday are invited for breast screening every 3 years.  Some older & younger women are also being invited as part of a study of screening in different ages

What is breast cancer?  Breast cancer starts when cells in the breast begin to grow in an uncontrolled way and build up to form a lump

What is breast screening? Breast screening uses an X-ray called a mammogram to check the breast for signs of cancer.  It can spot cancers that are too small to see or feel

I have breast implants can I still be screened?  You will usually be able to have a mammogram but please let the screening staff know at your appointment

I have a physical disability can I still have a mammogram?  Don't worry, the screening unit can make any necessary arrangements for you, just telephone them before your appointment - the details will be on the letter of invitation

• About 4 out of 5 breast cancers are found in women over 50 years old
• About 12,000 women in the UK die of breast cancer every year
• Your risk of breast cancer goes up as you get older
• Survival from breast cancer is improving over time and now about 3 out of 4 women diagnosed with breast cancer are alive 10 years later

For more please contact:

Cancer research UK

NHS UK - Screening information